AG Lichenology and Mycology (Martin Grube)

The Lichenology/Mycology group is interested in various aspects of the biology of fungi. Our main focus is on the biodiversity, biology and evolution of lichen symbioses. This includes the diversity of lichens in the Alps. Another topic of the group is the structure of partnerships in the lichen symbiosis, including the association with bacteria and various eukaryotes. Population genetics and genomics are further topics of the group. Among other things, we deal with the question of how lichens react to environmental fluctuations and stressful conditions. Based on controlled laboratory and field experiments, we analyse gene expression using different methodological approaches (RNA-seq, qPCR). Since most lichens and their parasites belong to the ascomycetes, non-lichenised fungi are also of interest to our research group.